‘There are many who will pull you down, only a few who will encourage you’Avtar Singh
The first Indian judoka to qualify for the Olympics in 12 years has a back story that, by now, wont surprise many.
24-year-old Avtar Singh hails from a small village in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, but he dreamt big. He knew the Olympics were his destiny and lucky for India, so did his parents.
With no functional Judo Federation to back his Olympics’ qualification campaign, Avtar funded all his trips across the world till he ran out of money ahead of May’s Judo Grand Prix in Turkey. However, one family meeting later he had the money, but his father, an official in the Punjab Government, had nothing to show for his life’s savings. Avtar’s parents had broken their fixed deposits to send him to Turkey.
And he managed to pick enough points to seal an Asian qualifying berth.
Avtar Singh is going to Rio.
Watch the video as he tells his story.
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